Hey everyone and welcome to the 2018 Awards Ceremony! I'm here to kick things off with the Community Awards. Whether you're witnessing this live, or just tuning in, I'd like to thank all of you for joining us. This is the 11th year that we have been celebrating the wiki's extended community, from the wiki, the boards, IRC, Discord, etc. Wherever you may spend your time around here, I'm sure many of you out there have made some good friends here. These awards are here to honor those who help the community grow, and all of the nominees deserve to be recognized. While these awards are celebrating what the voters decide as the best in each category, I would like to emphasize my appreciation for all of you out there. Without you, there wouldn't be much of a community. Now without further ado, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

: Man, Perch, am I glad to get that issue of The ‘Shroom up. It's nice getting back to work. We can put that wild ride of an election behind us.

: Behiiind us, yeah… that's right…

: So, I guess we need to start talking about the rest of the year. Did you have a chance to look over those plans for the Summer Special’s theme I sent you?

: The plans? Oh, yeah, those. Yeah, yeah, they're…

: They're what?

: What?

: The Summer Special plans, you were about to tell me what you thought about them. Perch, is everything okay? You’ve been really unfocused this past month, you just seem really uncomfortable or something.

: Everything’s just fine. Just fine…

: You know, I don't believe you. Something’s up, so tell me what the problem is.

: Look, MK, the truth is… You’ve been Director for two years now, and you need to know, The ‘Shroom… This paper, it…

: Whatever you're trying to say, spit it out. I have things to do.

: The ‘Shroom actually is an organization dedicated to the creation of a totalitarian government.

: Yeah, and Anton’s the Benevolent Dictator of Awards and Porple is the Shadow controlling the government behind the scenes. Haha, very funny, but I’ve heard it before.

: Seriously? You haven't pieced it together yet? I mean, you haven't picked up on all of the setup yet?

: Perch, listen, I don't have time for this. When you're ready to tell me what's wrong, let me know.

: MK, oh, poor MK. It's all so obvious. Just look at the Team Directors. Everyone here has been groomed to have a role in our new order. FunkyK38, she’s the Minister of Culture, keeping music and artwork in line with our policy. MCD and Anton, they're the Ministers of Propaganda, putting together news and influencing public opinion to further our aims. TPG? He’ll be the one to report fake statistics to the trusting populace, who won’t even question it when he reports another reduction in rations. LB? He’s the entertainment guy, and you’ve just gotta have entertainment in a totalitarian dictatorship. You know, bread and circuses and all that. And you? You’ll transition from strategy in games to military and economic strategies so seamlessly no one will notice.

: Huh, and I suppose next you’ll tell me LB hosting the Killing Game last year was just prep work to set up some sort of death battle in this new regime. Listen, this is a fun story and all, but I still don’t really see where you’re going with this. Even if it were true, that doesn’t explain what you’ll be doing, or how so many other Directors and Sub-Directors would have even kept a conspiracy like that a secret. I mean, everyone who’s ever been a part of the Directing Staff would have had to have been in on this.

: Oh, they have been.

: As a matter of fact, the work of every member of the Directing Staff has been building up to this moment. Let me take a minute, MK, and I’ll lay out in detail for you how every Director and Sub-Director has worked towards this dream.

: From Sadaharu on, when the foundation of The ‘Shroom was laid down, every member of the Directing Staff has had their own role in preparing our new order. There’ve been some… missteps... but, for the most part, the Directing Staff has fulfilled the goals long ago set down in secrecy.

: Stooben was the one to introduce a structure to the mission. By setting section limits, starting the application process, and strengthening activity standards for writers, Stooben set The ‘Shroom on track to what it is today. Sure, on the surface, his reforms worked to enhance the quality and professionalism of the paper, but, what they really did was allow us to streamline our selection process. By having more standards for writers, we were able to cut down on the number of those we had to screen. Selecting new Core Staff members is about more than measuring contributions to The ‘Shroom, after all. We have to make sure that, whoever we bring in, they’ll be ready and willing to assume their positions of authority in the new world order. Of course, we only want the dedicated in our ranks, so we enforce certain standards for writers to ensure that not just any riffraff can come in and write a section. Otherwise we’d waste too many resources screening the whole Internet, and you know how people on the Internet can be…

: And Tucayo? Haven’t you ever wondered about that guy? I mean, he was never even elected as a Director or Sub-Director! Sure, he did a great job stepping up and running The ‘Shroom, but it should have been pretty obvious that he was a test of our continuity of government procedures. We needed to ensure that, if something happened, we could have a trusted figure come in and keep things running smoothly. And, if I can say so, we certainly can.

: Even Turboo was in on this plan. We really played the long game with this one.

: Now, since you’ve been listening to this, do you think you can tell me what role 2257 might play in our new order?

: Uh, let’s see. He does a lot of work with the coding for The ‘Shroom. So, I guess you’ll have him doing, like, web infrastructure? Or maybe something like China’s Great Firewall?

: A good guess, but no. He always came in and used his coding prowess to give structure to The ‘Shroom, and, since those skills are absolutely, clearly applicable to bureaucracies as much as computers, 2257 will be our organizational manager. He’ll handle the task of setting up the institutions and bureaucracies which we can use to exert our control.

: Okay, so, I think I’m starting to understand where you’re going with this, but you’ve still left out some pretty big names. I mean--

: Hush. I’m not done. Look at Super Mario Bros., the longest serving Director in our history. He was, of course, elected into his position repeatedly, but, even a dictatorship needs to have a facade of democracy. That’s the same thinking that led him to make the Section of the Month a vote by the readers. Let people feel like they have a choice, and they’ll eventually get complacent. His long run as Director gave us a chance to see how people fare under one long-running leader. Sure, he did a ton for The ‘Shroom, but that was all secondary to the real work that was going on behind the scenes.

: Okay, fine. You tell a great story, but you haven’t given me any proof yet, and there’s still a lot of holes.

: Like what?

: Well, besides the fact that running a newspaper for an online community has no relevance to running a country, or that you don’t have any land or subjects, I still don’t see any way how you yourself are involved, or, more importantly, why you would tell me all of this.

: Alright, alright. You want proof? Gaze at this.

: Made by everyone’s favorite Yappy Kobold himself, that is. As a matter of fact, he has, as one of the members of the Directing Staff held in the highest regard by the community, an extremely important role.

: See, Mr. Edo is our Chief of Production. He really proved himself fit for the position with all of his years of dedication to producing high-quality artwork for The ‘Shroom. He’ll still be producing artwork, of course, but he’ll also be in charge of producing armaments, manufactured goods, rations, clothing, housing, and the whole lot. It helps that he brings that famous German efficiency to the position, as well. That navigation template of his really helped make the process of moving around the pages of The ‘Shroom far more efficient, after all, and I’m sure he’ll bring the same kind of innovation to our factories and farms.

: Well, okay, that’s a little more convincing evidence. But, what about you? Where do you fit into all of this?

: Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. Here, have a look at this file…

: You know, I’ve contributed a lot around here, but, what is it that I’m most known for?

: ...subbing in for people…

: Exactly. I, Superchao, am the next step in the evolution of our new order. I already told you about how Tucayo tested our continuity of government procedures. That worked well, but continuity of government doesn’t mean in a thing if the people won’t listen to their new superiors. In times of crisis, a strong leader needs to emerge quickly and step into whatever role they’re needed to fill. That’s what I do when I sub in. Not only do I step up to the plate and take care of things when I need to, but I command enough respect to have won the obedience of the people. Rest assured, if we have to quickly scuttle an incompetent official, I can replace them and ensure everyone follows my lead. My job is to ensure we have the obedience of the people even when times look the darkest for us and we have to act quickly.

: Hmm… well, Perch, this is certainly a big reveal. I don’t know whether to be honored that you’re letting me in on this or not, but… I still don’t get it. Why tell me? Where do I fit in? Why not just keep me in the dark until another Director comes along?

: Meta, it’s like I already said. We’ve been waiting on something very particular to happen. You, we’ve been waiting for you to happen. You’re the key to the new order of things!

: ME? But? I don’t se---!

: Look at this!

: This is it! This is the new banner under which we shall unite the masses! Don’t you see, Meta Knight? You’re a man of the people! The populist leader we’ve been waiting for! You alone rose through the ranks quickly enough! You’re an exceptional leader, MK, but, more than that, you’re an exceptional leader who still isn’t too far removed from his humble roots. When people look at you, leading The ‘Shroom, they see an example of someone just like them who took upon the burdens of leadership. You are not only trusted as a capable leader who came when The ‘Shroom needed you most and has guided it in great directions, but also viewed as a common man who isn’t so far removed from the lives of the people.

: The greatest movements are led by great leaders who have the charisma of the commoners, who brand themselves as a leader of their class come to make the movement manifest! You are the face of the new order! The watchman of justice! The great leader of the masses! The symbol of unity for those under our world!

: Perch… Perch… I don’t like this. I can’t stand behind this at all.

: That’s too bad, MK. I had hoped you might be a little more receptive.

: Unfortunately, there’s really only two ways to get out of this once you know our little secret.

: What are they?

: Well, one way is that MCD passes along a great tip to 876 about a certain masked swordsman who had what they’ll call an accident.

: Or?

: Well… you can also get out of this, go back to directing and forget this ever happened. But that will only happen if you do one thing.

: What is it?

: All you need to do is...

: Stand still!

: Wha-? Ah!

: I’m sorry Meta, but I just can't have you leak this information. That’s too big of risk.

: Alright, that should do it. He’ll have no memory of this conversation when he wakes up in an hour or so.

: Just like last year… what a shame. But, you're a good Director, MK, probably one of the best, so, you just keep doing your thing and we’ll try this again when you're ready.

: zzz… zzz...

: It won't be much longer now, after all…

(The images used for Edo and Superchao are edited versions of Userpedia artwork found here and here. The original art was created by and is owned by Mr. Edo.)

Hello, my name is Masuhirose Sakurade, the director of the Super Shroom Bros series. Thank you for waiting! This will be the last video presentation for Super Shroom Bros for Mario Awards XIII. Our staff is very excited for this presentation, and I hope you enjoy this finale. Now, please take a look at this.

As confirmed before, Geeky will be making her Shroom Bros. debut as a DLC fighter. However, we can now confirm that she will be releasing as DLC today, after this presentation is over. Our servers may be slow during this time, so please, be patient with us during this time.

Making a surprise appearance, Raregold has joined the roster! We've taken inspiration from his Realah T. design, per his notable appearance in “Selling Out.” Because of this, Raregold has some unique mechanics, such as taxing opponents over time to increase damage. Watch out for falling property, huge money bags, and maybe even a stray plunger or two. We hope you enjoy this very dynamic fighter!

Now, I am happy to announce the final character coming to Super Shroom Bros., and the highest ranking character on the Shroom Ballot.**among realizable fightersIt's been a year since the original game launched, and we have been happy to bring you this DLC during this time. Every character has been a unique blast to design, and we hope that you have enjoyed them as much as we have.With this announcement, we thank you very much.

Hooded Pitohui has joined the fray! This agile, aerial fighter boasts plenty of different tools in his arsenal from his days of searching out shops in Shop Scout. These tools will catch even the best players off-guard. We hope you've enjoyed this roster of fighters, and from all of us here in the studio, thank you again.

On The Development of a Digital Community: The Significance of Special Editions of the Super Mario Wiki’s “The ‘Shroom” Publications, as Favored by the Community

Authors:

Yazawa, N, & Kosaka, H.

Abstract:

Ongoing work in the field of digital community formation and development has been greatly bolstered by recent technological breakthroughs in compatibility with long outdated digital storage devices. One result of this work has been the reconstruction of the monthly publication of the well-studied model digital community, The Super Mario Wiki and Super Mario Boards. This publication, entitled The ‘Shroom, represents a wealth of information for digital anthropologists, with its focus on voluntary community contributions and its chronicling of major community events. Research from our team has focused on what have been termed “Special Issues” by the community itself. These editions of the paper represent major milestones, celebrations, and steps in the growth and development of the community, as evidenced by their high-quality and large size. Using polling data uncovered in a previous study (see Sonoda, U.), our team has determined which Special Issues were held in highest regard by the community and have prepared a report on their significance.

Article:

[...]

Above is an attempt to recreate, based on known community folklore and mythology, what the community might have envisioned as the logo for Issue 123.

According to the polling data from 2018, the third most favored Special Issue of The ‘Shroom was Issue 123. This issue was themed around the mythic figure, Wario, the counterpart to the the revered figure Mario. It appears that these two figures may have factored into the religious and moral structures of the community, with Mario clearly taking a central role in the mythos. It seems that Mario was an exemplary heroic figure, one of great virtue. In contrast, Wario seems to have served as an anti-heroic, greedy trickster figure. Why such a role was required in the folklore of the community has been the subject of intense speculation, though, with the surfacing of this issue, a new hypothesis has gained attention. Whereas Mario represented virtue and was held as an example of community expectations, Wario was a figure defined by vice (greed, gluttony, envy, jealousy, and other traits appear repeatedly in stories surrounding Wario). Unlike the villains of the community folklore, however, Wario represented a means of channeling vices into behaviors that only cause minor disruptions. By glorifying the figure of Wario, the community encouraged its members to turn malicious impulses into harmless troublemaking that would not threaten the social cohesion.

Does this issue support this interpretation of Wario’s role in the community’s social structures and folklore? Indeed, there is abundant evidence that, by emulating and praising Wario, the community members are able to safely and comfortably break minor social taboos. In the Critic Corner section, a review of Wario Land 4 repeatedly discusses a variety of unusual fetishes, and discussions of WarioWare in the Fake News and Strategy Wing sections contain fair amounts of bodily and bathroom humour which would otherwise be censored in polite conversation. The consumption of entire cloves of garlic, generally frowned upon in the community, is discussed extensively in Fake News sections as disparate as TV Tomorrow and Cooking Guide. Perhaps most tellingly, the issue embraces ugliness and a lack of cleanliness. The Wario-themed art contest in Palette Swap and images found in sections like Dear Anton demonstrate the community’s dedication to creating the most horrible-looking, unkempt demonic abominations to have ever crawled out of the sewers in dedication to Wario.

[...]

Above is the banner found at the top of Issue 100, created by Walkazo. Themed around the passage of time, it shows how far the community and The ‘Shroom had come while also celebrating the close bonds between community members that made the time worthwhile.

The Special Issue which received the second-largest number of votes was the largest issue of The ‘Shroom. Issue 100 served as a milestone celebration for The ‘Shroom and the community. The five traditional teams and the newly introduce team of Strategy Wing contained a great amount of high-quality content, but the twenty special sections also included played a key role in contributing to the impact of the section. Due to its size, the content of Issue 100 has not been fully documented, though efforts are underway.

What is clear from this issue is that the community emphasized creativity and skilled work in various media, with sections like Lakituthequick’s “Mario’s Celebratory Diorama” and SMG2Daisy’s “Galactic Orchestra”. In addition, remembrance of the past is emphasized in sections such as “From 2007 With Love”, The ‘Shroom Spotlight, and Tucayo’s “Ten Things”. “Please Understand: A Satoru Iwata Memorial” shows similar dedication to recognizing the past, and thanking those who have passed for their achievements. Despite the focus on the past, the community showed a keen interest in moving forward, with the establishment of the Strategy Wing team and goals for the continued expansion and improvement of The ‘Shroom.

Though much work must still be done before conclusions can be drawn in regards to the social significance of Issue 100, two elements clearly relate to the social structures of the community. Poochy, already a revered figure in the community’s religious establishment, was officially introduced as a mascot of The ‘Shroom. In addition, Porplemontage, once revered as a deity-like figure who intervened in the affairs of the community only rarely, being summoned only to fix major problems or solely when he felt the need to comment on events, was interviewed by Superchao. It is believed that this represents a major turning point in the religious history of the community. The cult of Porplemontage, which had been steadily weakening with the adoption of competing figures such as Poochy and the more expansive and egalitarian myths surrounding Mario, was dealt a blow which it could not recover from when its central figure effectively renounced his deity status by giving an extensive interview.

[...]

The above image, created by Coincollector, shows Walkazo (here represented by her OC, Bowselta) birdwatching with the Koopalings. The image combines Walkazo’s passions for Mario and her ornithological pursuits by depicting a great variety of birds from the Mario folklore.

The Special Issue which received the greatest number of votes in 2018 was Issue 111, a touching tribute to the deceased community member Walkazo. The significance of the issue is best seen in the words of the issue’s Director, Super Mario Bros., who stated “She [Walkazo] is, however, here with us in spirit and in our hearts, and she will never be forgotten.” What is clear is that Walkazo had an extremely significant positive impact on the community, with her dedication and hard work significantly shaping the place for the better.

The nature of The ‘Shroom as a community effort, while always recognized, is highlighted in this issue. In addition to the banner Coincollector provided, Edofenrir produced backgrounds themed after the Koopalings for the various sections of the paper. Various members of the community contributed time and effort for the “Walkazo Memories” and “Tributes Gallery” section, and Walkazo’s brother Pantaro and user Crocodile Dippy both contributed emotional reflections on their memories of and interactions with Walkazo.

Even as the community mourned the loss of an extremely prominent member who contributed so much, there is evidence of the community’s strength and ability to move forward. Institutions such as the Poll Chairperson Election and the Community Awards Dossier continued as they had in years past, and major milestones came in the form of exclusive interviews with Mercedes Rose and Laura Smith. In addition, the issue saw the promotion of Anton to Critic Corner Director, Meta Knight to Strategy Wing Director, and Superchao to Sub-Director.

Overall, this issue is significant to research of the development of digital communities because it highlights the strong bonds which were forged among members of the Super Mario Wiki and Super Mario Boards. In regards to closeness, strength of community institutions, and the dedication of its members to one another, it is clear that this community possessed a unique quality only very rarely found in digital communities. While archival data is still being extracted from outdated technologies, it is the hope of the authors that further research finds that the community remained strong and vibrant for many years more.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery. Sometimes it can be taken to the extreme but I may as well give it a shot. These sections are all well-written nominees, and who knows, maybe they'll let me sub for how awful my attempts at capturing their style are. To get things started, along with this results sheet I have another piece of paper I'm just gonna throw on here and let you read.

I don't have anything clever to say here, the page speaks for itself. Also, it's just an excuse to work on my ask thread while still being productive with presentations. So uh, ask me stuff if you want or don't.

Oh dang, I'm late for my next part.

For this next Obituary, I'll have to play the part of death, and force a victim to succumb to my power for your entertainment. Since Ridley got in Smash Ultimate at the time of me writing this and it is currently trending, I need to assert my dominance as the strongest warrior in the galaxy! Outside of Smash Bros. I am no longer limited to a simple move-set, so I can utilize my full capabilities.

The victim seems to have been murdered with decapitation. The target was aggressive, but also showcased signs of intelligence. The target has been identified as Ridley, the Space Pirate Commander. Researching the victim shows that he was a cold-blooded killer. Samus Aran's parents were victims of his carnage, and the lone bounty hunter has encountered him many times in the past, triumphing over his "big" size.

Due to the nature of Ridley's personality, it can be safe to assume the Galactic Federation will not be pressing charges against me, or pursue any case whatsoever. Ridley will show up again, he always does. It is the curse of being a video game antagonist with a lot of popularity. The single purpose becomes to die to the protagonist in each installment. Is this getting too meta? Well, I wouldn't be living up to my name if I didn't impose a few fourth-wall breaks.

Hmm... How in the world am I gonna transition from that? Wait I got it!

Well starting off let's go over fashion. This is an extremely important topic to cover, so what better way for me to discuss it than go over my own unprofessional style! As we all know, I wear a mask over my face, to give off a mysterious vibe. I wear gloves, shoulder pads, and depending on where I'm found there are slight variants on these styles. Overall, the lack of a torso and legs makes it difficult to wear plentiful shirts, but there is one garment that makes me look stylish.

This cape has an odd coloration separating the top from the bottom, but when it's wrapped around there's nothing cozier than keeping my arms crossed to have it cover my body. When it's time for battle I can simply reveal it for a flashy presentation. Not to mention the special capabilities like how I'm able to teleport is an amazing feature. Overall my rating for this would be:

Meaning: Very pleasing, and the closest you'll ever see me happy because this mask is not coming off.

However, to try something new, I'll have to take some more drastic measures. If you'll excuse me I just need to ahem... "borrow" something.

He won't be needing this anymore...

Now trying out bat-wings for an accessory. Does it live up to the cape? Well design-wise, they're dragon wings but look like bat-wings. Flight capability is enhanced, and combat wise they are less likely to get in the way. However, the ability to have it completely wrapped around me is lost, leaving me to have to get another blanket to sleep at night, which is an extra expense unrelated to everything.

As for aesthetic, it looks cool but isn't something you could get away with wearing in public without looking like a Halloween reject. I even asked a trustworthy source for her input and she has to say that the cape looks much better. The cape is more practical to wear for everyday purposes as well and still allows me to glide. If you do want your wings to look like bat-wings/dragon wings, there's nothing stopping you, but just don't try to take them off of a psychopathic pterodactyl space dragon. Overall the rating for this would have to be:

Meaning: Still a positive mood, but always needing to leave you with one eye on it because there's just something about it that keeps it from being perfect. The flaw ends up standing out more than the rest of the positives which just makes it irritating.

Well if nothing else, it's easy to see why these sections are so well-received. The original writers deserve their recognition, and I wholeheartedly appreciate all the other nominees, as well as other 'Shroom sections that we receive. If you're interested in joining the 'Shroom, you too could end up on this award! Please consider signing up, and you can look at the sign up page for some ideas. Thanks for joining me!